Grain-trimming machine used in loading vessels.



No. 634,775. I Patented on. ID, I899. c. 'r. SUDERMAN & e. -W.ILACY.

GRAIN TRIMMING MACHINE USED IN LOADING VESSELS.

- (Applisation flied May 2, 1899.)

(No Model.) I

W/TNESSES //v VEN TOHS fgfizideimza Mac THE numa PETERS co, morournm wasmwnmu. u. c

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

vessels it is customary to provide spouts for be readily deflected to any part of the vessels CHARLES T. SUDERMAN AND GEORGE W. LACY, OF GALVESTON, TEXAS.

'' GRAIN-TRIMMING. MACHINE USED IN LOTADING vssssts.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,775, dated October 1! 1899.

Application filed May 2, 1899, Serial No. 715,390. (Nomodeh) To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES T. SUDER- MAN and GEORGE W. LACY, residing at Galveston, in the county of Galveston and State of Texas, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Grain-Trimming Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is in the nature-0f an improved means for facilitating the loading of cargoes of grain onto vessels. I

In the usual method of loading grain onto loading the grain from the elevator to the vessel and to employ manual labor for distributing the grain to the hold of the vessel, so as to leave no open places between the decks and also to give the vessel a full cargo as well as distribute the cargo over those parts of the hold farthest from the place where the grain is discharged to the vessel, thereby keeping the vessel from shifting and also adding safety as well as utilizing the fullest capacity of the vessel by reason of filling all of the vacant places in the hold thereof. This method of loading vessels is costly, requires considerable time, and does not always satisfactorily distribute the grain. Our invention seeks to provide a simple but efiective means whereby the grain can be properly trimmed within the vessels hold and by which the loading can be effected in a much less time than can be possibly accomplished by the use of laborers and shovels and by which the grain can hold and uniformly distributed over all the parts thereof.

With the aforesaid objects in view our in: vention comprehends areceiving-hopper having discharging apertu res in the bottom thereof, discharge-tubes connected with such dischargerapertures, and pneumatic means for forcing the grain into and through the discharge-tubes at such point or points desired.

chine.

Ourinvention also comprehends certain details and combination of parts, such as will be first described and then be specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- V Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of our improved grain-trimming ma- Fig- 2 is a top plan view thereof.

In the practical construction of our invention the same comprehends a hopper A of suitable size, which is adapted to be conveniently placed upon the vessel or other point to receive the grain from the elevator, and the said hopper may have a single discharge in the-bottom, but preferably has two discharges (indicated by a a) at the. bottom of the convergingly-disposed collecting-pockets Z7 Z7, that are divided by the central pyramidal partition B, and the said discharges a a communicate with the pendent boot E E, the lower ends of which have necks e for the convenient passing thereto of flexible hose-sections F. To regulate the flow of the grain, the said boots E have cut-off slides f f, as shown.

D indicates afeed-pipe in which air is forced under pressure from any suitable point, and

thereof and then projected through the bottom of the bin to discharge downward into the boots E. By thus arrangingthe air feed and ejecting pipes the pneumatic suction through the boots E can be regulated at will and one part of the bin or trough made to discharge faster into one pipe F than into the other, as conditions may make desirable.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the drawings, it will be readily apparout that the grain may be conveyed from the collecting-tro ugh bypneumatic pressure into the ships hold at difierent parts simultaneously, or, when desired, to two or more ships at the same time, the active agency in this invention being conveying the grain by the application of air-pressurein connection with the pipes and hose to throw the grain.

One of the essential advantages of our invention is that the grain can be distributed overany part of the vessel that can be reached by spouts and shovels, as well as to such parts thereof that cannot be practically filled by the ordinary methods of loading.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A collecting-trough having a converging bottom terminating in a plurality of separate discharges; a pendent boot member secured to each discharge; a cut-off valve in each boot; a feed-pipe adapted to receive the air under pressure, said pipe being located outside the bin and having valved laterals terminating in downward extensions discharging into the boots at a point below the cut-oft" valves therein.

2. Anapparatusforthepurposesdescribed, comprising a bin having converging sides whereby 'a contracted bottom is formed; a transverse pyramidal partition B, separating the said bottom into two collecting-comparti all being arranged substantially as shown and described.

CHAS. T. SUDERMAN. GEO. W. LAOY..

Witnesses:

J AS. B. STUBBs, FRED J. BURKEY. 

